# Lifecycles & Workflows Overview

A <a href="/en/gr/2434/">lifecycle</a> is the sequence of states, such as _Draft_, _In Review_, and _Approved_, that a document or object record can go through during its life. A lifecycle can be simple (two states requiring users to manually move between states) or complex (multiple states with different security and workflows that automatically move the document or object record to another state). 

A <a href="/en/gr/50493/">workflow</a> is a series of steps configured in Vault to align with specific business processes. These steps are actions that occur on or in relation to a document, a set of documents, an object record, or a set of object records on the same object. The different step types within a workflow can perform a wide variety of processes for Vault content, such as assigning <a href="/en/gr/972/">tasks</a> to users, sending notifications, and changing a record's lifecycle state. Workflow tasks can serve several purposes. For example, they allow users to choose verdicts (such as approve or reject), choose reasons for the verdicts, and update field values.

## Using Lifecycles

You can change a document or object record's current lifecycle state by selecting the state from the <a href="/en/gr/21515/">lifecycle state badge</a>, or by selecting the state from the **Workflow Actions** menu. These actions are displayed only when state change actions are available. Some lifecycle state changes require the document or object record to transition through a document workflow.

For more details about using lifecycles on <a href="/en/gr/884/">Vault documents</a>, see <a href="/en/gr/2434/">About Document Lifecycles</a>.

For more details about using lifecycles on <a href="/en/gr/15298/">Vault object records</a>, see <a href="/en/gr/29798/">About Object Lifecycles</a>.

## Using Workflows

You can start workflows by selecting the workflow start action from the **Actions** menu of a <a href="/en/gr/884/">document</a> or <a href="/en/gr/15298/">object record</a>. To start workflows on multiple documents or object records, select the workflow start action from the **Actions** menu on a bulk view such as <a href="/en/gr/18505/#favorites">Favorites</a> or <a href="/en/gr/36402/">Cart</a> for documents or any <a href="/en/gr/44069/#object-record-list-page">object record list page</a> for object records. The label of the workflow start action varies depending on the workflow configuration, as determined by an Admin.

For more details about using workflows on <a href="/en/gr/884/">Vault documents</a>, see the following articles:

* <a href="/en/gr/50493/">About Document Workflows</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/50506/">Using Document Workflows</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/972/">Accepting & Completing Document Workflow Tasks</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/993/">Canceling Document Workflows</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/3168/">About Document Workflow History</a>

For more details about using workflows on <a href="/en/gr/15298/">Vault object records</a>, see the following articles:
* <a href="/en/gr/33498/">About Object Workflows</a> 
* <a href="/en/gr/33553/">Using Object Workflows</a>

## Configuring Lifecycles

Admins can configure lifecycles for documents and objects. Lifecycles simplify the implementation of business logic that traditionally required custom coding or time-consuming manual setup.

For more details about configuring lifecycles, see the following articles:

* <a href="/en/gr/2306/">Defining Document Lifecycles</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/2357/">Defining Document Lifecycle States</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/52053/">Configuring Lifecycle Stages</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/30683/">Configuring Object Lifecycles</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/12617/">Defining Document State Entry Criteria</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/12399/">Defining Document State Entry Actions</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/12339/">Defining User Actions for Document States</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/59885/">Configuring Entry Criteria, Entry Actions & User Actions for Object Lifecycle States</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/2662/">Creating & Managing Document Lifecycle Roles</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/26118/">Defining Lifecycle State Colors</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/36440/">Adding & Managing Object Lifecycle Roles</a>

## Configuring Workflows

Admins can extensively configure workflows. On the _Workflows_ page, Admins can use the search bar, or filter their view by document or object workflow. For more details about configuring workflows, see the following articles:

* <a href="/en/gr/50498/">Configuring Document Workflows</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/33550/">Configuring Object Workflows</a>
* <a href="/en/gr/52892/">Configuring Auto-Start Object Workflows</a>